Miami. If you cruise in the US, you will go through here eventually. And, if you like Virgin, you’re even more likely to sail Virgin Voyages from Miami than anywhere else. For me, this was the first time sailing from the city and, while Virgin Voyages was wonderful, Miami had some rough spots.
First thing first, it is beautiful. The ocean views and sea breezes are the obvious draw for everyone who lives here. I, personally, have never been a fan of the balmy climates of the south eastern states, but I get why many people like it. My first steps into the city were on a humid evening outside the airport and, by comparison to my home in a northern state, it was practically a sauna.
Truth be told it’s not actually my first time here, but it also kind of is. In spring of 24 I took a cruise that ended in Miami and then flew out from Fort Lauderdale. It is my first time in the Miami airport and I can say with certainty I prefer FLL over MIA.
The Miami Airport Kind Of Sucks
Don’t get me wrong, most airports suck. Newark is terrible. Charles DeGaulle is a labyrinthian hell. LAX is less of a mess than it was, but it’s still not great. Long story short, airports are rarely the highlight of a journey.
MIA isn’t as bad as some places I’ve been (I’d flown frequently through Detroit when they still had the smoker fishtanks), but Miami wasn’t a nice experience. The bathroom I used was dirty and, yes, I mean dirty by airport bathroom standards. There was (I hope) water all over the floor and it didn’t seem to come from flushing the toilet, not that that would have been an improvement over other possibilities. Although I’m nitpicking here, by my estimation, every surface just looked rough, like it needed a fresh coat of paint. It just made everything feel rundown and neglected.
On a positive note, I can say that the signage was good. I never felt lost or confused in the airport. That’s an important element of any airport, so it’s a good thing that everything is clearly marked here. Travelers won’t get led astray or wind up confused by twists and turns.
Fortunately, if you’re taking a Virgin Voyages cruise from Miami, you have a choice of airports. Fort Lauderdale, FLL, and Miami International, MIA, are both close to Miami’s downtown. MIA is a little closer, but FLL is not much farther and, like I said, is nicer to fly through. My advice is, use FLL if the price makes sense, because it can be quite cheaper to fly into, and even if it isn’t, consider it an option anyway.
The worst part of my stay in the city is what happened next though.
Beware This Common Scam When Taking A Virgin Voyages Cruise From Miami
If you aren’t a frequent traveler, you may not know this pathetic ploy, so look out. Here’s the scam: the cab driver will fake like their meter is broken and then charge you an arbitrary amount at your destination. A driver tried to pull this on us, but we travel regularly, so it didn’t work. I pushed back on his claim that the meter wasn’t working and only paid him what I calculated was the rate – remember that mileage rates are posted clearly and you can do the same thing.
This is a common scam, both on you and on the cab company that the driver works for. It’s also likely a tax dodge, just to make you a little extra irritated. If you see a driver trying to pull this, you should ask to be let out. You can also calculate the rates yourself, using that little calculator you have in your pocket and Google Maps. For safety, we always recommend that you plot your destination from the airport so you can keep track of drivers and make sure that they are going where you expect them to.
An old scam like this is a sad attempt at bilking travelers and you shouldn’t fall for it. I haven’t seen someone try this in years, so it surprised me. Obviously, it also left a bad taste in my mouth about this city and the airport. My recommendation, take an Uber or Lyft where you can see the fare beforehand. Scamming cabbies can take a hike.
Downtown Hilton
Any seasoned cruiser knows to arrive the day before your cruise departs, and we agree with that advice. That meant that before we got on our Virgina Voyages Cruise from Miami, we needed a hotel. In Miami there’s a downtown district that caters explicitly, if not exclusively, to the port. We chose to stay at the Hilton in that district, known as the Downtown Hilton. We booked a decent rate of around $200 for the night, which isn’t exactly budget, but it is a typical rate for the area. The room was nice, and the beds were comfortable. The flooring was in good condition, and frequent travelers know how important clean flooring is.
However, it wasn’t all good news. I know it’s common in hotels, but the furniture was fairly scuffed up. There was also a lamp on the desk which was, put politely, crap – it flickered and seemed to work only when it felt like it. I would turn it on and it just… wouldn’t. Then I would walk away and it would turn on without any intervention from me. Lamp and scuffs aside, the room was a decent enough place to sleep.
The hallways, though, were marred, and marred badly. Well beyond what I think is normal. Take a look at these pictures.
Putting on my Poirot mustache (if you don’t get that joke, you’ve missed some good books and movies), I think it’s either the housekeeping carts or the luggage carts, possibly both. No matter the case, it does raise a few concerns for me about how well cared for the hotel is. If scuffs on the wall are not addressed, what else might be ignored? I get it, they’re just scuffs on the wallpaper in the hall. The room conditions are more important than the hallway, but seeing the hallways like this doesn’t inspire confidence, no matter how you look at it. What it suggests to me is that management is either inattentive or cheap. Guard rails or new carts could fix this long term and some new wallpaper and staff training could fix it short term.
Jumping back to the good news, the hotel restaurant was nice. The menu wasn’t exactly daring, but it had something for every traveler and the food was pretty tasty. Prices were high, because of course they were, but not excessively so – nor were they higher than the surrounding area restaurants. The staff was extremely attentive and our server, a lovely woman from Macedonia, spent time talking with us about her country. We discussed history for about twenty minutes together, I think she was happily surprised that a couple of Americans knew about her country, its past, and its present. In any case, she made the evening for us and she is almost enough to recommend the location all on her own. Alas, one amazing staff member does not make up for poor management. I’d stay somewhere else in that area when I inevitably book Virgin Voyages from Miami again.
Virgin Port Terminal
If you weren’t aware, if you book a Virgin Voyages cruise from Miami, they have a dedicated port terminal. Anytime a cruise line has their own terminal at a port, things are bound to go more smoothly than when they don’t. I’m happy to report that there’s no exception here.
Is this a marketing image of Virgin Voyages from Miami? Yes, it is. But, I can’t get that sort of picture myself and it gives you a good idea of the terminal. It really is nice!
Terminal V, because of course it’s “V”, is easily accessible by car. If you’re the type of person who thinks, “I don’t mind a bit of a walk from the hotel,” let me dispel any illusions of that. You cannot walk to this terminal. Plan for an Uber or Lyft to take you there (I can confirm that the Lyft app has an option for Terminal V). I also recommend that you don’t plan on getting there too long before your boarding time, here’s why.
- Virgin’s staff is excellent, and they run a… tight ship! So when you’re boarding time says 4:00 PM, it means that’s when your boarding group starts the process. Get there thirty minutes beforehand at the earliest.
- There is precisely zip to do at the port. There are no restaurants, no shops, no entertainment. Nothing. Okay, that’s not entirely true, but what is there is inconvenient to get to. So, unless you just love, love, love, standing outside in the humidity of Florida, find another thing to do between checkout time at your hotel and boarding the ship. We met some folks at Gunbae who went and got massages while they waited for their boarding time, so there’s an idea for you.
Once inside the terminal, everything is as smooth as velvet. Bags get handled easily. Your personal check-in is like clockwork. Once you’ve passed security, the upstairs waiting area is comfy and, if you’re a Rockstar (that means that you’ve booked a suite), you even get your own lounge with complimentary food and beverages. I didn’t book a suite so I can’t say if they were good or not, but it looked nice from the outside!
Truly, a dedicated port terminal makes the whole process much easier for everyone involved. The staff know where everything is for that terminal and how it works. Each line has their own boarding process and bespoke terminals are built around accommodating that process, rather than trying to adapt a generic space to it. I’ve sailed from several other ports that are not bespoke, and it’s always been rougher going than any time I’ve sailed from one that is.
Is having a dedicated port terminal a reason to pick one cruise line over another? Maybe not, but I can say that it doesn’t hurt! Virgin remains my favorite of the major cruise lines. Their service is just a bit better. They have an atmosphere that’s just a bit more chill. And those Lady Ships, they’re just a bit cooler.
